“The Last Move,” a poem by Tyler Greenwood.
Inspired by “The Master” by Mary Jansen, now on view in Watercolor USA 2026, exhibiting until July 25th.
Crowned dreams lie broken where the silent kings once played,
Their banners turned to brittle cloth, their colors long since frayed.
The board lies still beneath the dust, no hand remains to guide,
And every boast of immortality has withered there and died.
Hushed beneath the raven’s gaze, the empty kingdoms sleep,
The promises they swore to keep now buried dark and deep.
The books beneath his talons hold the stories of the lost,
Of victories dearly purchased and the weight of every cost.
Ashes of ambition rest in corners draped with shade,
Like echoes of forgotten prayers and monuments unmade.
The fallen king upon the floor will rise to rule no more,
His crown no shield against the fate that waits for rich and poor.
Every checkered battlefield arrives at just one end,
Where rivals, rulers, saints, and fools all share the same descent.
The loud applause becomes a hush, the roaring crowds grow still,
And time erases every mark despite the strongest will.
No throne escapes the grasp of years, no victory remains,
The brightest stars eventually surrender to the rain.
Yet there the raven keeps his watch above the silent room,
A keeper of forgotten names and prophecies of doom.
Silent he waits among the books, the crowns, the fallen king,
Where silence is the final song that every life will sing.
Black feathers gleaming in the dark, old wisdom in his eyes,
Watching all our borrowed dreams take flight… and then likewise die.
